Colton Wells career night leads No. 3 Freeman boys over No. 1 Colfax; Scotties girls edge Bulldogs in overtime

The Northeast 2B may be the most competitive basketball league in the classification in the state, and it only got stronger this year with Freeman joining the ranks, down one level from 1A.

Entering play Thursday, the boys division placed six in the top 30 of the state’s RPI system – with just four bids to state from the district.

Freeman entered play at No. 3 with just three losses this season: at No. 1 Colfax 80-65, to No. 2 Columbia-Burbank 54-50 and at Idaho 6A Lake City 56-51.

Colfax – the defending state champion in the classification – had just one blemish, a 70-55 loss at Columbia-Burbank on Dec. 14.

On the girls side, the situation is even more extreme, with nine teams in the top 31 – including Freeman at No. 4 and Colfax at 24.

But the showdown between the Scotties and Bulldogs boys teams in the last regular-season game of the season on Friday was to decide the South Division champion and the top seed to districts – and bragging rights heading into postseason.

Due to the earlier loss, Freeman needed to win by 10 to claim the top seed to districts, which starts on Monday.

Colton Wells scored a season-high 31 points with nine rebounds, seven blocked shots and four assists on Senior Night, and the Scotties (17-3, 9-1) knocked off the visiting Bulldogs (19-2, 9-1) 65-52 to capture the South Division title.

Ledger Kelly led Colfax with 18 points and Jayce Kelly scored 16. Adrik Jenkin, who scored 42 points in the teams’ earlier meeting, was held to just one field goal and five points.

“Every kid grows up and wants to a have a great time at your Senior Night,” Wells said. “You gotta make it one to remember – just going out there playing with my best friends, my family for the last time on the home court. Might as well make it my best.”

“I’ve seen nothing but laser focus from (Wells), and truthfully, our whole squad,” Freeman coach Kyle Olson said. “He was on a mission. He started out, a little, I think some butterflies. You know, there’s a lot of family that he’s got here on Senior Night – packed house. I think once he once he got those first free throws to drop, he was head down from then on out.”

Freeman finished fourth at the State 1A tournament last year but took nothing for granted moving to 2B.

“Since Day 1 (this season) this team was straight back into the gym, getting lifts, just bonding,” Wells said.

“Our game against (Colfax) at their place was a good wake-up call for us. We got our tail kicked,” Olson said. “I’m proud of the way our guys responded. We’ve got a lot of veterans, lot of seniors on the team. They’ve got a lot of experience, and I think that butt whooping was a good wake-up call for them and to bounce back.”

Both teams needed a minute to get warmed up, but once they got going the baskets came fast and furious. The 6-foot-6 Wells scored 15 points in the quarter, including a late 3-pointer, and the Scotties led 21-18 after one.

Colfax used a 7-0 run at the start of the second quarter, with five from Jayce Kelly, to move ahead 25-21. But the defenses ratcheted up the pressure. Freeman’s Finn LaPointe hit a long 3-pointer with five seconds left and the Scotties led 36-30 at halftime.

Tanner Goldsmith’s two-handed slam on a follow-up put Freeman up by nine early in the third quarter. Jenkin finally scored his first points with three minutes left in the quarter on a pair of free throws to make it a six-point game.

“We completely changed a ton of stuff, and our defensive principles have changed a ton. We’ve hammered that out the last 2½ weeks,” Wells said.

Freeman kept up the pressure. Wells scored on a twisting layup and a pair of free throws, then dished to Vance Coyner and the lead reached 13. The Scotties led 54-41 entering the fourth quarter.

Freeman worked the clock much of the fourth quarter, and Micah Hodges hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with three minutes left to put the Scotties up 61-47. Goldsmith hit a late reverse layup – off an assist from Wells – and the Scotties celebrated the win.

“This league is no joke,” Olson said. “I got tired of people, and there were a lot, that thought we were going to come down (a classification) and dominate. We’ve got three or four teams that would compete well in the (Greater Spokane League).”

Girls

Freeman 63, Colfax 62 (OT): Taylee Phelps scored 20 points, Rylee Russell added 16 and the Scotties (16-4, 9-1) beat the Bulldogs (9-11, 5-5) in the late game.

In OT, 6-foot-3 sophomore Logan Pecht hit a baby hook with a minute left to put Freeman up by three, but Adalyn Penwell hit a 3-pointer at the other end to tie it with 22.6 seconds left.

Pecht was fouled after an offensive rebound and made 1 of 2 at the line with 7.8 seconds left. Colfax’s shot at the buzzer was long.